Freeport police join thousands of law enforcement officers for Collier memorial in Massachusetts

A memorial service at Massachusetts Institute of Technology for MIT police officer Sean Collier. Collier was shot Thursday night during a manhunt for Tamerlan Tsarnaev and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev.

Freeport Police Department | Officer Paul Powers

Thousands gather for the memorial service at MIT for Officer Sean Collier.

Freeport Police Department | Officer Paul Powers

A flag hangs during the memorial service at Massachusetts Institute of Technology for MIT police officer Sean Collier.

Freeport Police Department | Officer Paul Powers

Thousands attend the memorial service at Massachusetts Institute of Technology for MIT police officer Sean Collier. Collier was shot Thursday night during a manhunt for Tamerlan Tsarnaev and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev.

FREEPORT, Maine – Freeport Police Officer Paul Powers said he attended Wednesday’s memorial service for slain MIT police officer Sean Collier “to be able to stand up with my brother officers and show [Collier’s] family that we all stand together as one family of officers.”

Collier, 26, was killed last Thursday on the Massachusetts Institute of Technology campus, a casualty in a long night of violence in the Boston suburbs linked to the bombings at the finish line of Monday’s Boston Marathon.

Powers estimated that he, Freeport Police officers Michael McManus and Matthew Moorhouse and Detective Gino Bianchini were among 5,000 to 9,000 law enforcement officers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology on Wednesday afternoon to honor Collier.

“It’s not something you ever want to attend, but the unfortunate reality is, we do attend these,” Powers said. “I’ve been to several in the past few years, and it gives you a great sense of pride wearing the uniform to show up and see the massive amount of officers that come from all around the country.”

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Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Vice President Joe Biden were among the speakers Wednesday, Powers said.

He said he’s angry that Collier was killed when he was “just out there trying to do his job and keep people safe.”

“Officer Collier was born in 1986 – the year I graduated from high school,” Powers said. “It’s such a loss to imagine what the family has to deal with, burying their son who, in my eyes, is still just a kid. It’s such a great loss.”